Dak Prescott’s legacy at Mississippi State is secure, as he is the most decorated quarterback in the program’s history, but that doesn’t make him an all-time SEC great.

Originally a three-star recruit out of Haughton (La.) High School, Prescott is the Bulldogs’ career leader in completions (709), attempts (1,127), yards passing (8,996) and touchdown passes (66). Perhaps even more impressive, he is atop all those categories yet still ranks just 13th in interceptions (22) — not only is he prolific, he is efficient.

Prescott completed more passes than Danny Wuerffel, attempted more than Tim Tebow and threw more TDs than Johnny Manziel, all of whom started for at least two years and won the Heisman Trophy, yet he still comes up short when it comes to icon status in the conference.

I don’t want to take anything away from Prescott’s accomplishments in Starkville, as he is arguably the best player to ever wear maroon and white, but we’re talking about an institution that has a losing record historically against every team in the SEC except Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Despite everything the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder has done, his record in conference play is a pedestrian 11-9.

Of the 35 other QBs that attempted 100 or more career passes for Hail State, an astounding 30 had a negative TD-to-INT ratio. Only one was drafted by the NFL: Joe Reed, an 11th-round selection of the San Franciso 49ers in 1971.

Being the best signal caller in Bulldogs history is the equivalent of being the valedictorian of summer school.

In the ACC, Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis threw for more yards than Florida State’s Chris Weinke. One of them won a national title and a Heisman. The other is Thaddeus Lewis.

In the Big 12, Todd Reesing of Kansas threw for more touchdowns than Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. One of them won a Heisman and was the No. 1 pick in the draft. The other is Todd Reesing.

Similar stories can be told in every league in America.

While Mississippi State fans won’t want to read this, their school has a lot more in common football-wise with the Blue Devils and Jayhawks than the Seminoles and Sooners.

In the last decade alone, Aaron Murray, Chris Leak, Andre Woodson, Bo Wallace, Erik Ainge and Jay Cutler finished their time in the SEC with more completions. Murray, Leak, Wallace, Woodson, Tebow and A.J. McCarron had more yards passing. Murray, Leak, Woodson, Tebow, McCarron, Ainge and Tyler Bray had more passing touchdowns.

How many statue-worthy names are mentioned above? Not many.

Let the arguments begin

I can anticipate the comments section below already. But he was such a good runner! He didn’t have any talent around him! Hail State only won 10 games twice before he got there! All valid points.

Prescott is indeed one of the best running quarterbacks the SEC has ever seen, as he has 524 carries for 2,474 yards — that’s a 4.7-yard average, impressive considering sacks count as rushes in college — and 41 touchdowns. He even has four career receptions, with three going for TDs.

Tebow finished with 473 more yards and 16 more TDs on the ground, but he needed 168 additional carries to do it and had a considerably lower yards-per-attempt average (4.3).

Quite possibly, Prescott might be a better runner than Tebow ever was.

Unlike most of his teammates, Prescott is considered a legitimate NFL prospect. He’s not a lock for the first round like Jared Goff of California or Paxton Lynch of Memphis, but many draftniks expect him to come off the board in Round 2 or 3.

While Prescott suited up in Stark Vegas, in terms of the draft on the offensive side of the ball, guard Gabe Jackson was a third-rounder in 2014. Tight end Malcolm Johnson and running back Josh Robinson were both sixth-rounders in 2015.

As ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser would say, “That’s it. That’s the list.”

The only current teammate who should hear his name called this year is wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson, a draft-eligible junior with little incentive to stick around since Prescott is out of eligibility.

Without question, he’s never had a lot of help.

Just didn’t win enough

So that brings us to the key statistic — not the only one, but the primary one — when it comes to differentiating between QBs: wins and losses.

In 2014, following consecutive triumphs over No. 8 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn, Prescott took Mississippi State to 6-0 and atop the polls for the first time in history. That unbeaten streak ran to 9-0 before a litmus-test loss to No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, as the Bulldogs morphed back into not-ready-for-prime-time players.

LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn all finished 8-5 last year, which means Hail State’s start to the campaign wasn’t nearly so magical. Prescott and Co. ultimately dropped three of four down the stretch and slid to 11th in the final AP poll, which resulted in his fall from Heisman leader to eighth in the actual voting.

As for 2015, Mississippi State faced four ranked opponents: LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss. The Bulldogs went 0-4. Prescott can’t be considered an SEC god when his best victory as a fifth-year senior is 51-50 at unranked Arkansas. His swan song will be Dec. 30 against similarly unranked N.C. State in the Belk Bowl.

Not much of an opportunity to leave a lasting impression.

Prescott had a bunch of completions. But so did Steve Taneyhill — more in fact. He had a ton of yards. But so did Casey Clausen — more in fact. He had a slew of TDs. But so did Tommy Hodson — more in fact.

By all accounts, Prescott was everything he could be. That includes graduating, by the way, which deserves just as much recognition. Few players proved to be easier to root for in the SEC.

He has been a tremendous quarterback. I’d have him on my team in a heartbeat. Any NFL franchise would be smart to take him.

But he’s not an all-time SEC great. That rarified air is reserved for names like Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. Consider Prescott a first-ballot choice for the proverbial Hall of Very Good.

And that’s a compliment, not an insult.